1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of forming a mock cable pattern in knitted fabric, and more particularly to a method of forming mock single or double cable patterns in knitted fabric utilizing tuck stitches, in a rapid and efficient manner, without removing yarns from, and cross-transferring yarns between, sets of needles during the knitting process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Knitting machines of a semi-automatic type in which yarns can be knitted in any one of a plurality of desired patterns are well known in the art. In these machines, the machine may be programmed for a desired pattern electronically by computer software, or by the use of a punched card. For example, such a machine is available from Brother International Corporation of Piscataway, N.J., as their Model No. 930 or Model No. 940, respectively.
In this type of machine, by way of example, when it is desired to provide a mock single cable pattern in the knitted fabric, when a preselected number of rows (e.g., 12 or 16) has been knitted and the fabric row (13 or 17) which is to include a first cable cross-over or originating point of the mock single cable pattern, has been reached, knitting is temporarily interrupted. Initially, a yarn loop or stitch on each side of a plurality of yarn loops or stitches which are to be used in forming the mock single cable pattern, then are dropped from their respective needles. The intermediate yarn loops or stitches, which are even in number, such as two sets of three, next are removed from their respective needles and each set of the stitches is transferred to the needles of the other set, by a pair of three-eyed transfer tools. The removed side stitches then are allowed to ladder down, and using a latchet tool, are formed into purl stitches. The knitting operation then is resumed until the fabric row containing a next pattern cross-over point is reached, whereupon the process is repeated, with the process subsequently being repeated at additional cross-over points until a desired length of the mock single cable pattern has been formed.
Other methods of making mock cable patterns in knitted material also are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,264,016 to M. Bialostok discloses a method of producing a knitted fabric having an area formed to represent a cable by utilizing relatively short needles to knit areas of the knitted fabric with a relatively loose full cardigan stitch, and relatively long needles to knit other areas of the knitted fabric with a jersey tuck stitch so as to obtain a fullness in these latter areas. This patent further discloses the use of tacking to further enhance bulging of the areas knitted by the longer needles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,891 to E. F. Wirtz discloses a method of making a mock cable stitch in a knitted article by first forming an area of stitches which contrast with the stitches of the rest of the fabric (for example, rib knitting), and then centrally constricting this area by gathering a hand stitch which is made horizontally across the contrasting area. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,707 to E. F. Wirtz, describes a method in which machine operations are used to perform the gathering step.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,910,852 to C. N. Herbert et al., like the Bialostok patent, discloses the forming of a mock cable design utilizing short floats to produce projecting portions in the fabric, and subsequent tacking to enhance and/or to create a degree of projection, and/or to form different types of cable patterns in the fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,953 to D. H. Warsop discloses a stitch bonded fabric which is made on a two-guide-bar machine with the front bar knitting pillar stitches and the back bar forming stitches and/or laid-in sections and/or floats of thread extending over at least two wales of the front bar system and repeating over not less than four courses or rows, with one effect which can be produced by the disclosed method being a simulated raised cable stitch formation. In particular, it is stated that a single, or preferably a double missed thread wale on the front bar system is crossed by floats of the back bar system, with tension in the floats pulling in the front bar pillar stitch wales on either side of the missed thread wale, which bunches up the filling in between so that it stands upward of the adjacent pillar stitched regions, while the floats extending diagonally across the raised filling impart a cable or twisted appearance.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved method of forming mock cable patterns in knitted fabric which can be accomplished in a simple, rapid and efficient manner, and a primary purpose of this invention is to provide such a method.